Amusing Library Stories

For those of you who frequent libraries, either as a patron or an employee, have you had any unusual or interesting encounters lately?

What Do You Have to Say About…

…summer classes? Are you taking one? How is it going? Is it better to focus on only one topic for six weeks, or to spread things out a little more?

What Do Special Librarians Do, Anyways?

by Ellie Jones

On Tuesday, May 27th at 5pm, UB Special Libraries Association will be holding a panel discussion with five librarians from different types of libraries all around the Buffalo area to answer that very question.

Our panelists include:

Gayle Ablove, Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Timothy Binga, Center for Inquiry
Karen Reczek, Bureau Veritas
Joan Taulbee, Hodgson & Russ law firm
Cynthia Van Ness, Buffalo & Erie Country Historical Society

Each of our librarians will talk about what a “typical” day is like for a special librarian, how they became special librarians, and what counts as a special library. The breadth of the librarians we have involved in this event is incredible: corporate, law, medical, and archives. If you are particularly interested in one of these fields, this is definitely an event for you. If you are mildly curious about special libraries, this is also the perfect event for you. Food, fun, and information, all in one place!

Please join us on the 27th to hear these librarians tell their stories and answer any questions you may have.

If you have any questions, please contact UB SLA at ubsla2008@gmail.com
“Everything but the Kitchen Sink: A Panel Discussion with Special Librarians”
Tuesday, May 27th
120 CLEMENS
5pm-6:30pm
Food and Drink will be served

To get to Clemens from Baldy (2nd floor route)
Take the walkway through Lockwood library, go past the library and across the bridge into Clemens.
The walkway will end in a corridor where you can take an elevator down to the first floor.
Or, if you prefer, turning either right or left will take you to a stairwell at the end of the hallway.
Follow the signs to Room 120.

Question Time!

Which class do you feel has been the most helpful to you in the program?

-or-

Which class are you most looking forward to taking?

Reader Input

What other library-related blogs do you read?

From The Editors

By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

As this semester nears the end, our student groups have some accomplishments to report. Several successful events were held and foundations for the future have been established. We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the newsletter and blog and we seek your continued interest and support. In order to make it even easier for you to keep up to date with the blog, here is a beginner’s guide to using a feed reader to keep track of all the really cool blogs that are out there…

First off, a feed reader is a tool that collects any new postings from sites that you are subscribed to and displays them all on one site, saving you from having to visit multiple sites every day to see who has posted a new entry. Most sites have some type of feed, meaning that you can get news, book reviews, and even photos every day, without navigating all those pages. There are a few different feed readers, each of which has slightly different features. Two of the most popular are www.bloglines.com and google.reader.com. Both are fairly simple to set up and use. To check if your favorite sites have feeds, just look for an orange icon such as this or this.

For more information, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggregator.

Updated: In honor of RSS Day (May 1), here is a link to a site that explains it much better than I did. Check it out!

Teen Book Festival

 By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski 

On April 5, 12 authors from all over the country attended the 3rd annual TBF in Fairport, where crowds of young adults (and librarians!) were amused, entertained, and waited in long lines for autographs. Attendees had the pleasure of hearing Libba Bray talk about her trilogy, a self-proclaimed Victorian version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as inner critics and her inspiration.  Another energetic session was that of Todd Strasser, who illustrated for his audience the elements of any good story.  Timothy Zahn and his escort of costumed Star Wars characters were another big hit.  Over 100 volunteers, both teens and adults, helped to make this event a success.  Look for information about next year’s festival on their website at http://www.tbflive.org/ .

 

Librarians For Life

 By Jeremy Crawford     

On Saturday April 12^th , a dedicated band of library students joined in the UB Relay for Life event to raise money for the American Cancer Society.  The Relay, an overnight event, was held in UB Alumni Arena and involved one hundred and twenty teams and over eleven hundred people from both our campus and the Buffalo community.

Our eleven member team raised $1566.85, making us the 7^th  team overall in funds collected. Alongside donations, we raised additional money at the event by selling gently used books, magazines, and baked goods. A good time was had by all the members of our team and we were one of only a handful of teams to have a team member walking through the entire night. Thanks to everyone who supported us.  If you would still like to make a donation to the American Cancer Society on behalf of Librarian for Life, visit http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RelayForLifeEasternDivision?pg=team&fr_id=5232&team_id=252449

 

SLAWNY Springs Into Sharing Success

By Tina Scavo

Spring Sharing was the last Saturday in March at Cheektowaga High School. Many school library media specialists in the area were on hand to hear keynote speaker Patrick Jones talk about young adults and the library, as well as the reluctant reader.

There were two workshop sessions where a wide variety of topics were covered, such as National Board Certification, Grant Writing, and Collaboration. Vendors were on hand for those who had needs to fill in their libraries. Attendees were treated to lunch, catered by Charlie the Butcher. During lunch, the Outstanding Library Advocate Award was presented to Rosina Alaimo from Maple West Elementary School in Williamsville.

Next up, the last SLAWNY meeting of the school year… Wednesday, May 21 at 4:30 pm at Southside Elementary School in Buffalo, featuring local historian and author John Percy. Hope to see you there!

LIS GSA Celebrates The End (Of The Semester)

By Kim Hanford

For the enjoyment of all DLIS constituents (students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends, and family) LIS GSA is planning two events for the end of this semester. The first event is a Happy Hour at Jack’s Place on Friday, April 25^th. The fun starts at 8 pm! Second is a Picnic on Saturday, April 26^th at the Flickinger Court Community Building. Stop by anytime from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm for a free lunch, games, and a chance to win door prizes!

Since this semester is quickly drawing to an end, LIS GSA has already started planning for this summer. To welcome new students who will join DLIS this summer, LIS GSA will host a Happy Hour on Thursday, May 15^th at Jack’s Place. New students, please head over after orientation. Everyone else, meet us there at 6 pm.

To prepare for next fall, DLIS has elected new LIS GSA officers. Congratulations to President Nathan Tallman, Vice-President Ellie Jones, and Senator Chris Hayes. Elections for Secretary, Treasurer, and another Senator will be held next fall.

LIS GSA wishes to thank all those who made this past year a success!